Small MPU – Page 415

  • News

    Joggers Park director dies just ahead of film's release

    2003-08-29T00:00:00Z

    Anant Balani, the director of Hindi film Joggers Park, died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Aug 28 - 17 days ahead of the film's release. Balani made his directorial debut with Gawahi (1989). His latest films Joggers' Park and Mumbai Matinee are to be released in September. He ...

  • News

    Lipshy leaves Intermedia to become financial controller at Myriad

    2003-09-01T04:00:00Z

    Former Intermedia Films' financial executive Amy Lipshy has beenhired for the newly created position of financial controller at financing,production and worldwide sales house Myriad Pictures.Based in Los Angeles, Lipshy will report directly to Myriad chieffinancial officer Jon Shiffman and will oversee general accounting functions,production accounting, quarterly financial reporting, financial planning ...

  • News

    IFC Films steps into the Void

    2003-09-01T04:00:00Z

    IFC Films has acquired all North American rights to TouchingThe Void, Oscar-winningdirector Kevin MacDonald's true-life mountaineering drama that will screen atthe Telluride and Toronto festivals.Based on the memoir of the same name by the renowned mountaineerJoe Simpson, the film recounts a 1985 attempt by Simpson and Simon Yates toscale the ...

  • News

    Initial teams with Jodie Foster on Altar Boys

    2000-02-22T05:56:00Z

    In its third major acquisition of the week, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG) has boarded The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys, a project developed by Jodie Foster's Egg Pictures, which Foster will co-produce and take a supporting role in - as a one-legged nun.IEG will fully finance the $15m-$20m film which ...

  • News

    The Return, Zatoichi score Venice sales on eve of premieres

    2003-08-31T20:00:00Z

    Two films in the Venice competitionhave been logging strong buyer interest and notching sales evenbefore their world premieres later this week. Russian first film The Returnby directed by Andrey Zvyagantsev, has added deals with France'sOcean Films and The Netherlands' Contact Films to previous licenceagreeements signed with Switzerland's Frenetic ...

  • News

    Taormina's 50th anniversary dates announced

    2003-09-01T04:05:00Z

    Taormina Festival Chief Felice Laudadio has announced that the 50th edition of the international event will take place from June 11th to 19th 2004. "The earlier dates worked very well this year, and films such as Phone Booth and Identity, which received their Italian premiere in Taormina, went on to ...

  • News

    Venice competition films fuel buyer action

    2003-09-01T04:05:00Z

    Two films in the Venice competition have been logging strong buyer interest and notching up sales even before their world premieres later this week. Russian first film The Return, directed by Andrey Zvyagantsev, has added deals with France's Ocean Films and The Netherlands' Contact Films to previous licence agreements signed ...

  • News

    SARS-effect still disrupting production

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Two big-budget Hong Kong projects - Time Breaker, which is set to star Jackie Chan, and Hua Mulan, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh - have been delayed, partly due to the impact that SARS has had on production in mainland China.Media Asia's US$40m Time Breaker, which was scheduled to ...

  • News

    Hong Kong's JCE Movies unveils first project

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Jackie Chan is set to star in an untitled police action film which will be the first fruit of a joint venture production company established by the Hong Kong star and local tycoon Albert Yeung.The film, which is scheduled to start shooting at the end of this month, will be ...

  • News

    Postponed Filmart attracts increased interest

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) has unveiled details of this year's Filmart (September 24-26), which looks set to be the biggest yet, despite being postponed for three months due to the SARS outbreak.According to the TDC, the number of exhibitors registered to attend has increased by 26% to ...

  • News

    Cool reception for Italian film law

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    A new Italian law, which the government hopes will revolutionise the public funding of local film, has met with a lukewarm reception from local filmmakers.The legislation, unveiled by cultural affairs minister Giuliano Urbani at the weekend, proposes to limit the public funding of local films in a bid to ensure ...

  • News

    Cool reception for Italian film law

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    A new Italian law, which the government hopes will revolutionise the public funding of local film, has met with a lukewarm reception from regional filmmakers.The legislation, unveiled by cultural affairs minister Giuliano at the weekend, proposes to limit the public funding of local films in a bid to ensure more ...

  • News

    Suzhou racks up sales at quiet Berlin market

    2000-02-22T10:40:00Z

    Philippe Bober's Berlin-based The Coproduction Office could claim the accolade of "buzz title" at last week's European Film Market (EFM) for Chinese director Lou Ye's Suzhou (pictured) which has sold to 12 territories and is expected to clean up the rest of the key territories at this week's AFM.With 14 ...

  • News

    HONG KONG

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Hong Kong comedy Dragon Loaded 2003 has had one of the strongest openings of the year for a locally-produced film, grossing $1.09m in seven days from 38 screens. The film beat the openings of both Pirates Of The Caribbean, which came in second with $714,583 from 35 screens, and Korean ...

  • Reviews

    Lost In Translation

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Sofia Coppola. US. 2003. 105 mins. Sofia Coppola proves defiantly that she really is a chip off the old block with her second feature, Lost In Translation. An enormously accomplished, highly affecting story of loneliness and human connection, the film possesses an originality, style and generosity which will assure ...

  • Reviews

    Casa De Los Babys

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Dir: John Sayles. US. 2003. 95 mins. John Sayles' latest ensemble is a frustratingly undernourished work which takes a potentially fascinating milieu and merely offers a glimpse at it. Never shy in the past of running his movies to 130 or 140 minutes, Sayles stops short here at 95 while ...

  • News

    NORWAY

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    While everyone's money was on local low-budget digital feature Buddy, Buena Vista's blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean raced past Morten Tyldum's romantic feature over the weekend at the Norwegian box-office. Buddy received rave reviews when it had its premiere at the Norwegian International Film Festival and local media have hyped ...

  • News

    AUSTRALIA box office 01/09/2003

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Finding Nemo's extraordinary Australian opening is believed to be the ninth biggest opening weekend ever, although this has yet to be confirmed by distributor BVI. Over the four-day weekend to August 31 it took A$8,038,861 and, despite being on a massive 399 screens, its screen average was A$20,148. Besides the ...

  • News

    NETHERLANDS

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Lars Von Trier's Dogville impressed in The Netherlands over the weekend claiming the second highest screen average, behind chart leader Pirates Of The Caribbean. The drama played on just 15 prints for A-Film Distribution, the country's biggest independent distributor.Elsewhere in the chart, children's films saw a boost with local favourite ...

  • News

    DENMARK

    2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Not much changed at the Danish box-office this week where Tomb Raider 2 managed to stay on top with Bruce Almighty, and new releases Hollywood Homicide and Buffalo Soldiers failed to attract Danish audiences. Overall the weekend saw a massive 46.9% drop in box office gross from last year. Only ...